You see somebody who looks suspicious

You walked out of the arbitration session with a barely restrained smile. It only wavered for a moment when you looked back at Linda. She was the last to exit the room and she kept her features devoid of any emotion as she reached out and shook your hand.

"See you in the morning, Nick." Her tone was completely professional, but you knew what those words meant.

Your smile returned. "See you then, Linda." And you both went on your way.

It occurred to you then that you had left a few papers at your new desk that might be useful for the next session in a couple days. You checked your watch and realized that you only had twenty minutes until Lindsay would undoubtedly be waiting at your door with her friend. You hesitated in the sleek, flatly lit hallway for a moment as the Fred's bustled quietly around you. Remembering how quick the commute had been earlier, you decided to go and get the papers.

A few minutes later, you slid the papers into a folder and then into your case before stepping out of your office. All the Freds working in your hallway were now moving as if on a conveyor belt back toward the parking garage. You found yourself wondering if they all practiced walking at the same pace to avoid jamming up the hallway.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a single person dressed in a gray jumpsuit that was moving against the flow of "traffic." Though the direction she walked caught your eye, you would have noticed her regardless. Even with her baggy outfit, hair pulled back, and baseball cap pulled down you could tell she was a smokeshow.

You stopped moving as she approached carrying some cleaning equipment. The Freds drifted around the two of you like water splitting around river rocks. Her eyes were turned down at first, but they soon traveled up from your shoes to your face, giving you a clear view of hers. "You are definitely not a janitor." You stated without any doubt.

Her expression suddenly became a little panicked and she looked around to see some of the Freds starting to take notice of the two interesting people disrupting the usual mundane routine of closing time. Her radiant blue eyes locked onto a smaller side hallway and she jerked her head in that direction before crossing the stream of suits and leaving you behind. For just a moment, you completely forgot about rushing to get home and followed the mysterious woman to the deserted hallway. She turned one more corner before she stopped, looking down at the tiles on the floor and very deliberately stood in one. As you approached, she pointed right in front of her without saying a word. You stood about a step away, a little wary but very much intrigued. She grabbed your shoulders and pulled you closer so there were just a couple inches between you.

Finally she whispered, surprising you with her slight German accent. “I technically am a janitor, but the job is just a temporary cover.”

You opened your mouth to ask a question, but so many rushed to your mind that they got jammed and nothing came out. Your raised eyebrow was enough though.

“My name is Lorena Rae. I’m an investigative journalist and, if you haven’t noticed, there are some very strange things going on here, Nick.”

You looked around, then down at the specific spot where she made you stand, then back up to Lorena with the same confused look. “Why…”

“This is a blind spot for all the cameras, but they still have audio.” She at least cleared up that much.

You suddenly felt gripped by a little bit of dread. The illegality of your job and the sexual favors that were awaiting you in the morning stood at the forefront of your mind. And this janitor/journalist already knew your name…

Apparently, Lorena could see your expression falling. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You think I’d work undercover as a janitor for months just to uncover some biased arbitration and a little sex? Get over yourself.” Even as she took you down a peg, she found herself looking you up and down, but she made an effort to remain focused. “I don’t care who you fuck over or even who you fuck for that matter. That’s not news. I’m talking about something bigger. Something THM is using to control their employees.”

You had to chuckle then, this was all too Mission Impossible for you. “Yeah it’s called money. If you land a job here, you’re set. Every one of these guys can happily retire at 40; even sooner if they want to.” This was the explanation you had settled on as you observed the admittedly strange behavior of the men around you that day. You figured that they were all just putting in their mind-numbing time while raking in the cash.

“No, it’s more than that. You haven’t seen it yet, but you will.” Her perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowed for a second as she tried to think of a way to open your eyes.

“You really need to try harder, or i guess not try as hard, if you want to look like a janitor, you know?” You quipped quietly, still not matching the severity of her tone.

She ignored that, her eyes widening with an idea. Her hushed voice was a little more excited than anxious now. “Have you actually talked to any of these guys? As in, a real conversation?”

You had to think for a moment, but you realized that you’d only really talked with Linda and the other company’s representative in the meeting today. “I… guess not. But I mean the Freds-” you chuckled at yourself, “Sorry, my neighbor’s name is Fred and they all look the same.” Lorena almost cracked a smile. “They’re all just… boring, you know?”

She pointed a finger and tapped your chest with it. “Try it, okay? Pick two ‘Freds’ and ask them about their lives, their families, what they do for fun. You’ll see what I mean.” She nodded more to herself than to you, then another idea hit her. “Oh and make an account on their social media. I know you don’t have one yet.” She looked you up and down once more. “You’re obviously going to get a request from just about every woman in the neighborhood. It’s not just Linda that’s way too hot for these guys.”

This made you remember Lindsay. You were going to be late. “Okay sure, but I kinda have to go n-”

“Wait!” Her urgent whisper stopped you from turning away. “We have to make it look like I had another reason for bringing you over here.” Suddenly she was pulling your tie askew, ruffling up your hair, taking off her own hat, unzipping her jumpsuit a little to reveal some cleavage, and taking her hair out of the pony tail it was in. Something shifted then and she said, “Oh fuck, why not?” Then she proceeded to actually do what she was making it look like you did, pulling you in those last couple inches and kissing you with sudden passion.

Far from objecting, you returned the kiss, gripping her waist with one hand and threading your fingers into her hair with the other. It was an intense few seconds as the two of you made out and groped each other with urgency. She moaned into your mouth loud enough for the cameras to pick up the sound, but you doubted that it was for them.

When she finally pushed you away, your disheveled disguises were much more convincing. “I’ll be around, Nick.” She picked up her supplies and headed off down the empty hall, zipping up her jumpsuit after returning to the view of the cameras.

You paused for a second to process everything that just happened. You couldn’t help but shake your head and laugh as you set off for the parking garage.